Four female Coalition Avenir Quebec cabinet ministers fired back at accusations the party has a gender pay gap on Friday.
Earlier in the week the party was criticized when it came to light that male MNAs were more likely to hold positions that make them eligible for boosts in pay. The highest paid roles in the National Assembly are premier, president, caucus president, chief whip and parliamentary leader, all positions that are held by men in the current administration.
Of the highest paid roles, women hold 44 per cent of positions, while in the next tier down, they hold 33 per cent.
The female ministers accused critics within Quebec Solidaire of twisting the numbers and being hypocritical, saying that if you look at average salaries, the CAQ pays women more while QS pays women slightly less.
Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Isabelle Charest defended the CAQ’s record on feminism saying the CAQ has the largest number of women of any of the parties.
“If we want to have more women in politics, we have to show them it can be positive,” she said. “The government has been very positive in the number of women in the government and the way we work together. We don’t want to focus on numbers that don’t mean much.”
- With files from Maya Johnson in Quebec City
